Carrying assembly

ABSTRACT

The invention is an assembly for carrying a small item, such as a cell telephone, on one&#39;s person. The assembly includes a male and a female fixture, one of which is affixed to the small item (or its carrying case) and the other of which is attached to a convenient site, such as a person&#39;s belt, other article of clothing or the dashboard of an automobile.  
     The male fixture is inserted downwardly into a “U” shaped opening in the female fixture and a spring bias and a pair of detents hold the fixtures in engagement with each other. When desired, the fixtures are separated from each other by an upward pull sufficient to overcome the spring bias and allow the male fixture to slide up and over the detents.

HISTORY OF THE APPLICATION

[0001] This application is based upon provisional patent application serial No. 60/371,878 filed on Apr. 12, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to an assembly for carrying small items, such as a cell telephone, on one's person. More particularly, the invention relates to a combination of a male and a female fixture, one of which is attached as to a person's belt and a the other of which is attached to the small personal item or its protective case. The novelty of the disclosed invention lies in the fact that the fixtures can be easily engaged or disengaged from each other without regard to their relative orientation one to the other.

[0003] A number of carrying assemblies are disclosed in the prior art which utilize male and female fixtures that can be releaseably engaged with each other. One of the fixtures is attached to a persons' belt and the other fixture is secured to a small personal item or its carrying case. By way of example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,335 in which a male fixture in the form of a shaped button is received in a like shaped opening in a female fixture. The male fixture is attached to the personal item and the female fixture is attached to a person's belt. In this assembly, the button is inserted axially into an opening in the female fixture much like a key is inserted into a lock. The button is then rotated to a locked position to secure the male fixture within the female fixture. The procedure is reversed to separate the fixtures.

[0004] Other types of carrying assemblies utilize similar arrangements in which the female fixture is generally “U” shaped with the open end extending upward. This permits the male fixture to be inserted into the opening in the female fixture. One such arrangement of this sort is disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,589. The design of the described apparatus requires that the male fixture be correctly oriented with respect to the female fixture when engaging or disengaging one from the other.

[0005] An improved design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,170 that makes it easier to engage the male fixture with the female fixture. Here the male fixture can be inserted in the female fixture from any position. But, to avoid accidental separation of one from the other, the male fixture must, in order to release it, be rotated into a predetermined position with respect to the female fixture.

[0006] In summary, carrying assemblies in which a male fixture is attached to a persons clothing (or a carrying case) and a female fixture is attached to a carrying case (or a person's clothing) are known in the prior art. The design of these assemblies generally requires that the male and female fixtures be aligned relative to each other to enable the fixtures to be engaged with or disengaged from each other.

[0007] Achieving an alignment required to engage or disengage the fixtures may prove anywhere from awkward to formidable—particularly so considering that the carrying assembly most commonly is located at a person' waist in a position which may be hard to see.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an assembly in which a personal item, or its carrying case, is held in a fixture when the personal item is not being used.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly in which a personal item, or its carrying case, can be safely and securely held in a fixture.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a carrying assembly comprising male and female fixtures which may be engaged or disengaged from each other with minimum inconvenience.

[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a carrying assembly comprising male and female fixtures which may be engaged or disengaged from each other without aligning the fixtures in any particular fashion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] These and other objects are achieved by inserting a male fixture within a “U” shaped opening in a female fixture and utilizing an axially orientated spring bias acting in concert with detents to secure the fixtures in engagement with each other. When desired, the fixtures are separated from each other by an upward pull sufficient to overcome the axial spring bias and permit the male fixture to slide over the detents. A preferred assembly of the invention is shown in the drawings in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is an exploded view taken along a center line C showing the elements of the invention and their functional relationship to each other;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an attachment bracket 2;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a connecting stud 3;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a securing receptacle 4; and

[0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a spring locking plate 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The same reference numerals are used throughout to identify the same elements as shown on the several drawings.

[0019]FIG. 1 is an exploded view, taken along center line  illustrating the four principle elements of the invention and their functional relationship to each other. These elements include an attachment bracket 2 (shown in section), a connecting stud 3 (shown in side elevation), a securing receptacle 4 (shown in section), and spring locking plate 5 (shown in side elevation.) When assembled, the flange 2 and the connecting stud 3 make up a male fixture adapted to be attached on its backside to a surface of a carrying case (not shown) for a hand held object, such as a cell telephone. The male fixture is designed for insertion into a female fixture which is made up of the securing receptacle 4 and the spring locking plate 5. The back side of the female fixture is also adapted for mounting, as on a belt or other object.

[0020] The attachment bracket 2 includes a mounting plate 21 that can be secured to a carrying case as by staples or rivets passing through fastener holes 22. The mounting plate 21 supports a raised stud support 23 having a central stud receiving sleeve 25. The sleeve 25 is here illustrated as being cylindrical, but it can be fashioned of any convenient curvilinear or rectilinear cross section.

[0021] The connecting stud 3 includes a securing flange 31, a stem 33 and a shoulder 35. The stem 33 is designed to be secured within the stud receiving sleeve 25 of the mounting plate 21. The stem 33 may be secured within the sleeve 25 as by welding, providing threads to screw the parts together or, for that matter, by machining the attachment bracket 2 and the connecting stud 3 from a single block of material.

[0022] The shoulder 35 of the connecting stud 3 is designed to slide into the “U” shaped slot 47 in the securing receptacle 4. As the diameter of the securing flange 31 is greater than the width of the slot 47, the connecting stud 3, when inserted into the slot 47, cannot be axially withdrawn from the securing receptacle 4.

[0023] The securing receptacle 4 has a body portion 41 from which depends upper legs 43,43 and their flanges 44,44. Depending from the opposite side of the body portion 41 is a lower leg 45 carrying a flange 46. Flanges 44,44 and 46 are provided with fastener holes 48,48.

[0024] As best can be seen in FIG. 4, the central portion of the securing receptacle 4 has a “U” shaped slot 47 the closed end of which extends from a point somewhat above the lower leg 45 in an upwardly and outwardly flared direction. As noted above, the slotted opening 47 is dimensioned to receive the shoulder 35 of the connecting stud 3. The button 31, however, is made larger than the slotted opening 47. By these means the shoulder 35 of the connecting stud 3 can be inserted within the slotted opening 47 from above but, once inserted, the button 31 prevents the connecting stud 3 from being axially withdrawn from the slotted opening 47.

[0025] Detents 49,49 are located on either side of the “U” shaped slot 47. The detents 49,49 engage the rim (outside diameter) of the securing flange 31 when the connecting stud 3 is seated at the bottom of the slot 47 of the securing receptacle 4.

[0026] Spring plate 5 is simply an attachment plate 51 that has been deformed to provide a centrally disposed leaf spring 53. Fastening holes 57 are provided at the corners of the attachment plate 51. When the body portion 41 of the securing receptacle 4 is seated against the attachment plate 51, the fastener holes 45,45 and 47,47 of the securing receptacle align with the fastener holes 57,57 of the spring plate 5. As so aligned the securing plate 4 and the spring plate 5 can be secured to each by any convenient fastening devices such as rivets.

[0027] The spring plate 5 carries a clip or similar known fastening device, not shown, on its back side, i.e., the side remote from the securing receptacle 4. The purpose of the fastening device is to make it easy to secure the spring plate 5 and the attached securing receptacle 4 to the belt of a user, another item of clothing, such as at the waist of a users pants, or any conveniently accessible support, such as the dash board of a motor vehicle. In the later instance, a Velcro® fastener mounted on the back side of the attachment plate 51 to engage a Velcro® fastener positioned on a dashboard of a vehicle may be conveniently used.

[0028] As mentioned above, the flange plate 2 is fixedly attached to the article to be carried, such as a cell telephone (not shown), by fastening devices (not shown) that can be inserted through the fastener holes 22 that pass through the mounting plate 21. Many other fastening devices will occur and can be used.

[0029] In use, the female fixture including the securing receptacle 4 and the spring plate 5, are secured as to the user's belt and the male fixture including the assembled flange plate 2 and connecting stud 3, are secured to a hand held article or a protective case for the hand held article. (Actually, while perhaps not as convenient, there is no reason why this arrangement can't be reversed with the male fixture attached to a belt and the female fixture attached to an article. This variation is meant to be included within the scope of the invention and the claims that follow.)

[0030] When one no longer wishes to hold his hand held device, as at the end of a telephone conversation, the shoulder 35 of the connecting stud 3, to which the telephone is attached via the attachment bracket 2, is inserted into the slotted opening 47 of the body portion 41 of the securing receptacle 4 by pushing the connecting stud 3 downward with sufficient force to deform the leaf spring 53 and permit the button 31 of the connecting stud 3 to slide over the detents 49 and seat flush against the securing receptacle 4. As described above, since the diameter of the securing flange 31 is greater than the “U” shaped slot 47, the connecting stud 3 cannot be axially withdrawn from the female fixture. The connecting stud 3 can be withdrawn from the “U” shaped slot 47 of the securing receptacle 4 only by exerting an upward force sufficient to deform the leaf spring 53 of the spring plate 5 and allow the button 31 of the connecting stud 3 to pass over the detents 49 of the securing receptacle 4.

[0031] From the above description of the drawings, it can be understood that the male fixture (comprising the flange plate 2 and the connecting stud 3) can be inserted and secured within the female fixture (comprising the securing receptacle 4 and the spring plate 5) without regard to the orientation of the connecting stud 3 relative to the securing receptacle 4. So too, the male fixture can be withdrawn from the female fixture, against the bias of the leaf spring 53, by exerting an upward force sufficient to enable the button 31 of the connecting stud 3 to pass over the detents 49 of the securing receptacle 4, without regard to the relative positions of the connecting stud 3 and the securing receptacle 4.

[0032] By the foregoing described means, the male fixture and the female fixture may be engaged or disengaged from each other without regard to their orientation one to the other. Nevertheless, the male fixture is held securely within the female fixture by the conjoint action of the spring bias 53 and the detents 49. 

1. A carrying assembly for hand held articles including a male fixture and a female fixture, one of which fixtures is adapted for attachment to the article and the other of which is adapted for attachment to a convenient carrying site: the male fixture includes an attachment bracket and a connecting stud mounted on and normal to the surface of the attachment bracket; the connecting stud has a shoulder portion axially extending from the attachment bracket to a securing flange of greater diameter than the shoulder mounted on the distal end of the shoulder, the female fixture includes a securing receptacle attached to a spring plate, the securing receptacle defines a “U” shaped slot extending from a lower portion of the securing receptacle in an upwardly and outwardly flared direction terminating at the open end of the “U”, the slotted opening is large enough to receive the stud shoulder but small enough to restrict the passage of the securing flange of the stud; the securing receptacle has detents extending toward the spring plate, the detents being located on opposite sides of the “U” shaped slot at points spaced above the bottom of the “U” and below the open end of the “U”; the detents being separated from each other in a horizontal plane at a distance greater than the diameter of the stud shoulder but less than the diameter of the securing flange; the spring plate is secured to the securing receptacle in facing relationship to the detents of the securing receptacle; and the spring plate has a leaf spring biased toward the “U” shaped slot; whereby when the connecting stud of the attachment bracket is inserted and seated in the “U” shaped slot, the rim of the securing flange is engaged by the detents of the securing receptacle and releasably held in this position by the bias of the leaf spring pressing against the top surface of the securing flange of the connecting stud urging it into contact with the securing receptacle. 